Band 4.0 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 4.0 · Cambridge IELTS 21 · 2026-09-23

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The diagram below shows how one type of desert, known as a rain-shadow desert, is formed.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

The formation of rain-shadow deserts

Student answer (Band 4.0)

The process diagram depicts the formation of rain-shadow desert in various steps there are many factor acttecting contain mountains.

From overall prespective, the process commence with winds approach coast and culminate rain-shadow desert this done in thousands of kilometers clouds formation and rain falls are noticeable steps, furthermore dry winds reaches inland areas.

To begining with, it can be seen that winds approach coast from sea level and winds pushed upward after that moist air are raises and convert in to clouds forms.

Turning to the remaining steps, rain fall is more crucial step top of the mountain in penultimate step dry air continues over mountain through leeward side of mountain. In the bottom of mountains there is a huge distance which measured in thousand kilometers from coast to ain-shadow desert. In final step dry wind

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response: Band 4.5

The response attempts to describe the process diagram showing the formation of a rain-shadow desert, noting key stages such as winds approaching the coast, cloud formation, rain falling, and dry winds reaching inland areas. However, there are significant omissions and a failure to complete the description, as the text trails off abruptly at the end ('In final step dry wind'). Furthermore, the word count is 136 words, failing to meet the minimum requirement of 150 words. This leads to a penalty under Task Achievement. While an overview is attempted ('From overall prespective, the process commence with...'), the development is incomplete and contains inaccurate phrasing.

Coherence and Cohesion: Band 4.0

Paragraphing is attempted with an introduction and body paragraphs starting with transitional phrases like 'To begining with' and 'Turning to the remaining steps'. However, the logical progression is frequently disrupted by severe grammatical and lexical errors, making sentences difficult to follow. Cohesive devices are mechanically applied and often misused (e.g., 'this done in thousands of kilometers'). The text also lacks a cohesive conclusion due to the abrupt ending, which disrupts the overall flow and organizational structure.

Lexical Resource: Band 4.0

The vocabulary used is very basic and heavily relies on lifting terms directly from the diagram prompt (e.g., 'winds approach coast', 'clouds form', 'rain falls'). There are numerous spelling and word-choice errors, such as 'prespective' instead of 'perspective', 'commence' used incorrectly with 'with', 'raises' instead of 'rise', and 'ain-shadow' instead of 'rain-shadow'. The range of vocabulary is extremely limited and inadequate for a standard academic response, frequently impeding communication.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy: Band 4.0

The text contains a very high frequency of grammatical errors and structural flaws. There are major sentence boundary issues, fragments, and missing verbs (e.g., 'there are many factor acttecting contain mountains' and 'In final step dry wind'). Subject-verb agreement is frequently violated (e.g., 'moist air are raises'). Complex structures are rarely attempted accurately, and simple sentences often contain basic structural errors. Punctuation is also poorly managed, contributing to the overall lack of control.

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